Eric's Fate
by notdoneatforty
Summary: Eric's life from viking raider to vampire lover. Contains violence, lemons, strong language. Eric/Sookie/Godric Rated M
1. Chapter 1

A/N I don't own TB, or any of the characters. I've just taken a few of them out of the box. If there's interest in the Viking's story I'll continue.

Eric's Fate

Chapter One

Out of the sea mist a large dark shape approached. Silent but for the muffled creak of straining ropes and the rhythmic splash of oars the ship approached the shore, running straight up the sandy beach. From it's guts spilled a group of men dressed in furs and metal armor, to quickly secure the vessel.

One of them, a tall blonde youth of sixteen summers, stopped at the water's edge to take a better look at his surroundings. The beach was in a bay that was surrounded by low hills, and seemed completely deserted. Olaf, his father's scout, had chosen their landing well.

Twelve men ran up the beach, following the directions given to them by the scout. On the other side of the hill they expected to find a small group of homes, clustered together for some little security that would offer from wild animals or bandits. In these tough times men took whatever steps they could to protect their homes and families.

This was Eric's first raid, he was eager, nervous and excited all at once. His father had only allowed him to come when his older brother had fallen ill, and he wanted to prove that he was up to the job. Eric's father, Egil, owned the warship now beached behind them. It was the finest ship built by the Norse in at least a generation, and had been won in battle over a year ago. Apparently the finest ship did not come with the finest sea men. This was the first time it had been sent raiding.

Across the lose shale which made running both difficult and noisy the raiding party reached the grassy slope. As leader Eric led the group up the incline, at his side was Ulrich, a grizzled old veteran who had been sent to keep the boy out of harm. Without a sound the others followed in two files, gripping weapons and shields to prevent any chinks or rattles. No point in alerting the locals to the trouble that had found them.

Atop the hill the group crouched and ran low, so as not to present a silhouette against the night sky. The needn't have bothered as the village had posted no watchmen. Behind Eric followed Trausti, the good looking poet who had come to see battle at first hand. Egil had insisted the poet be able to handle a blade before agreeing to let him come.

Six houses. Constructed of dirt and timber then roofed with thatch nestled together at the foot of the hill, along the side of a stream that shone silver in the moonlight. Eric noted that there were no defenses, neither palisade nor rampart, nothing. He grinned at Ulrich who patted him on the arm.

"Shall we?" he asked his comrades.

Without a word they split up, two for each house. Still there was no sound of alarm, no panic. Eric noticed now that they were up close that there was no smoke coming from the chimneys, no animal noise from inside. Something was amiss here. He might never have been on a raid before, but he had crept home late at night from Sookie Sturlusson's place.

He held up a hand, palm flat. Around the homes all eyes waited for his next order. Eric felt no shame in consulting Ulrich first.

"There are no fires, no animals, no people noises," he told the big old warrior. "Something is amiss here."

"Noted. Pass the order to wait at the ready, you and I will check the first house," Ulrich agreed.

Silently the order was passed. Eric could feel the tension as the men seemed to hold their breath, lest it give them away. He tried the door to the nearest house, found it open. With a push it swung inwards to reveal a sight that was nothing like what they had expected.

Inside the house was one long room, even in the dark Eric could see that they were not the first to visit this place with bad intention.

One older man lay over the hearth, his throat ripped out. Behind him a woman lay on her back, glazed eyes staring at the ceiling. Eric noted the smaller bodies huddled together at the far side of the room with distaste. He had no time for child killers.

At once Ulrich was out in the open, barking orders. Every house was entered, forcefully. Every man in the raiding party found sights similar to those that had awaited in the first house. The stench of blood and death hung heavy in the air. Someone had been here before them and slaughtered these people.

From the furthest dwelling Grettir, the acknowledged healer in the group shouted a warning to the others. He hoped he wasn't too late.

"Vampires!"

In front of Eric a shadow moved, with tremendous speed, straight at him. Reflexes kicked in after years of sword training, and Eric got the huge two handed sword that he carried up before the thing took hold of him. The blade that had been a gift from his father was too large for this kind of fighting, but he managed a sharp rap on the vampire's forehead with the hilt as it closed. It reeled and took a step back, just enough for Eric to plunge his sword down into the thing's chest cavity. Bursting back out of it again from the small of it's back.

From beside him Ulrich took the thing's head off with one vicious cut.

Eric expected to hear sounds of fighting from all around, but there was nothing but stillness. This vampire appeared to be alone. Knowing what he did about the creatures of the night Eric called the war band together. They would stay in this house until dawn.

He hoped the men who had stayed with the boat were okay. There was no way of knowing, and no way of warning them.

"Some scout you are?" he mocked Olaf when everyone was together.

"Sorry, forgot to mention the vampires," Olaf answered, laughing nervously.

"What do we do now?" Trausti the poet asked.

"We wait for sun up, can't be more than a couple of hours away," Eric told them.

Pale sunlight spilled over the hill, illuminating the miserable scene for the raiders. In every house a dead family, but it looked as if the vampire had taken his time, fed on them as he needed to. How he could have managed this alone none of them could guess, but in each house the bodies were in several states of decay.

With Ulrich at his side Eric checked every house. All of these people's possessions were still in place, but there would be no good luck attached to anything these unfortunate people owned. It was Eric who decided to torch them as they had found them, removing nothing.

There would be other raids, he hoped there would not be other vampires.

From what little they knew of the creatures they guessed that the vampire had been familiar enough with the victims. He had moved freely in and out of their homes. Eric shuddered as he considered the death that all of these people had found. Of course they would be dead by now anyway if the raiding party had attacked.

Sweating and confused Eric struggled out of the nightmare that he was waking from. It was the same as all the other times, the slaughtered village, the dead children. The vampire.

At his side Sookie Sturlusson was awake, studying her lover intently. She knew he was dreaming about the first raid again, and about the first time he had met a vampire, four years before.

For his sake she hoped he would never meet another.


	2. Chapter 2

Eric's Fate

Chapter Two

Two natural springs, one hot, the other cold, fed into the bath that Egil had made near the family longhouse. Stone walls and seats had been added to create a feature that was the envy of all the local karls. Tonight, under the light of a full moon, Sookie bathed her husband. In the morning he and his father's bondsmen would go raiding.

Eric sat in the warm spring water with his back to Sookie as she cleaned and combed his hair. Occasionally she would rest a hand on his broad shoulders, or stroke his neck, before returning to her task. She didn't want her man to go, but the harvest had been poor, and Egil needed the raid to be a success. By farmers' standards he was already wealthy, but with status came responsibility. The ship had to go out.

Her feet in the water, legs spread to either side of Eric, Sookie leaned in close to him. She remembered the tall gangly youth who had called with her when her father was away raiding. Smiling to herself, glad he couldn't see her face, she thought of the day when Egil had come to ask her father could she marry Eric. Had he said no the insult to Eric and his father would have been immense, but fortunately both families had been happy for the youngsters.

Sookie pulled her linen shift over her head, exposing her generous breasts and milky skin. Her belly was just starting to swell with the child inside. With her hands on her husband's shoulders she pulled close to him, pressing her cheek against his neck. Breasts pressed against his back she began again to rub his shoulders, stopping occasionally to kiss his neck.

Feeling her naked flesh behind him Eric responded with a groan of pleasure. They had come here to bathe, as was their custom before he went away, what came after was becoming a custom too. His body was already responding to the memory. When Sookie stopped rubbing his back she ran her hands down his chest as far as she could, over his nipples and down onto his abs. She nibbled at his neck, then ran her tongue up to his ear, flicking it around the edge before delving inside. As she sucked on the lobe he tried to turn, to reach for her, but she held him in place while she tortured him with the sensation.

Only when she thought she had teased him enough did she get to her feet behind him. Stepping around him she entered the water, dropping onto his lap gently as her cool skin met the hot water. Eric's hands were up to meet her breasts, first cupping them, then squeezing the flesh while his fingers tweaked at the nipples. Sookie murmured her pleasure even as her mouth sought his.

Their lips met. In his eagerness Eric crushed his mouth to hers, but Sookie had other plans, withdrawing slightly, then darting her tongue between his teeth before he could follow her. She felt his lips form a grin as her tongue sought his, her lips applying gentle suction to his tongue when it probed her mouth. In the heat of their mouths their tongues dueled, while his hands worked at her breasts, and hers palmed his nipples.

Wriggling forward in the water Sookie sought his arousal, pressed herself onto him. She was ready as he twisted his hips and slipped inside her. At once she felt the need to pull away from him, as he hurt her when he entered. She had never become accustomed to the size of her viking's love. Gradually she lowered herself fully onto him, all the while sharing that long passionate kiss. When he started to move under her she was flooded with sensation, pleasure and pain all at once. Sookie gave herself over to the animal pleasure that was sex with her Eric. His hands were on her hips, pulling her against every thrust, twisting her pelvis forward to where he knew he could give her most stimulation. She thrust back with every stroke, grinding herself on him as she wriggled her way to an intense rush of sensual pleasure. By the grip her muscles held on him whenever he thrust into her Eric knew her climax was coming. He tensed his own muscles, trying to time his own finish to arrive with hers. Sookie grabbed his balls and squeezed when she came, forcing an orgasm of equal intensity to hers from her man as he bucked and twisted beneath her.

Stroking her back with his hands, teeth on her nipples he gently slowed down the pace of their love making, until in the end they clung tightly to one another in the warm water of the bath.

With the dawn the raiders set sail. Fourteen men manned the treasured ship, their gear stored in boxes on which they sat. Mostly the deck was empty, save the barrels and bags of supplies that Bergur, the ship's master, had brought on board for the crossing. There was no provision on board for their return as the raid was expected to furnish what they would need. Sookie stood on the shore alongside the other wives until the ship was little more than a dot on the horizon. When it was gone from sight she returned to Egil's longhouse to wait with the others for her man to return.

The crossing to Britain was rough, the low sides of the ship providing little cover from the sea as it lashed them. At night they slept on the open deck in leather sleeping bags. More than once during the journey the first mate, a weather-beaten old warrior named Bjorn, made them unship the oars and row against an unfavorable wind. None of the men objected as the labor of rowing was the only exercise the would get until they landed.

It was Olaf who sighted land first, the scout had better eyes than any of the others. A favorable wind carried them towards the shore, making landfall as night approached. Bergur chose a little cove with a shingle beach to run the ship to shore. As soon as they were beached Olaf and Eric ran through the shallow water, onto the beach. They would scout ahead while the others secured the ship. Behind them men were already throwing down ropes to pull it further up the beach.

Olaf led the pair in a wide half circle, checking the ground and surroundings. They found a large farmhouse about a mile north of the cove. For a while both men watched the comings and goings of the inhabitants between the main building and the smaller outbuildings. Grinning, eager to get on with the raid, the men returned to their comrades.

The raiding party were waiting, as eager as their leader. There was no shame in a night attack when raiding. They would catch the farmers unaware, and take whatever they needed in goods and slaves. With a quick nod to Thor the party began the short run to their target.

Something had changed in the short time they had been away. Eric noticed that a dozen horses were tethered at the front of the building, a guard dressed in chain mail and leather coat with them. It was clear from the tack on the horses that they belonged to soldiers. Grinning at the men of the raiding party he told them to anticipate some sport when they got close.

A cat was mewling in the farmyard, a long mournful sound that carried well on the still night air. With a wave of his hand Eric brought his party forward at a run. They covered the ground to the farmhouse in seconds. At the heavy front door Snorri, heaviest built of the raiders ran straight into it with his shoulder. The latch gave easily. For a moment there was a surprised gasp from inside, before the vikings burst into the large room beyond.

By the horses the picket saw the group of armed men running at the house. He wanted to warn his friends inside, but when he tried to shout all that came out was a rasping wheeze. Looking down he saw the point of Olaf's sword erupting through his chest. Pain followed, then darkness.

"Vikings," came the call from inside as men reached for whatever weapons were to hand. Eric was third through the door. His eyes took in the eleven soldiers, the large old man they had been talking to, the group of men in peasant clothes who were obviously farmhands. Then he rushed at the soldiers, huge blade held above his head with both hands. Grimur, his cousin, was at his side, two handed axe lofted high.

Eric's first blow cut the soldier in front of him in half. Surprised as they were the defenders were still reaching for weapons as the vikings rushed through the door at them. Only the fact that the doorway slowed the attack stopped it from being instant slaughter.

At his side Eric was aware of Grimur's axe as it fell on the nearest defender. The man tried to get his own blade up, but the steel shattered under the force of the blow. Grimur struck him with the haft, then reversed the weapon and cleaved the man's head from his shoulders.

And then it was over. The farmhands put up no resistance, this was not their fight. The farmer had an air of resignation about him as he surrendered. All of the soldiers lay dead or dying.

"Don't kill me," the farmer begged.

Bloodlust had left Eric as soon as the fighting stopped. He had no interest in murder. With a wave of his hand he stayed his own party's weapons.

"Gather your family about you. We will not harm any of them if they do as we say. But these," he pointed at the laborers, "these we take as slaves. They'll be no loss to you."

The farmer looked relieved, but still scared. His eyes traveled nervously to a small chest. Eric went to it, flung the lid open. It was full of coins, small silver ones stamped with the face of Harold. Recognizing the dead king's face Eric waved for Trausti the poet to join him. Then he turned to face the farmer again.

"What's this for? Who were the soldiers?" he asked.

"Taxes, they were tax collectors. Better you had killed me than murder tax collectors in my home," the farmer told him.

"Is that how you want it?" Eric asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Eric's Fate

Chapter Three

An hour later Eric was giving orders for the slaves to be bound together in the mid deck, around the mast. Food and other provisions looted from the farm were stowed near the front, along with the chest of coins. The raiding party left the farmer with the dead men to get rid of, but he had twelve horses now as reward.

"Why did you let them live?" Ulrich asked as the wind caught the sail, pulling them out to see.

"He reminded me of my father," Eric told him.

"And the slaves?" the warrior wanted to know.

"They're worth nothing to him, cowards were happy to sit back while we slaughtered that man and his family. They didn't deserve to be free men, and now they're not," Eric eyed the motley group as Illugi, his second cousin, checked the robes that bound them.

"It's unusual to take slaves nowadays," Ulrich commented, "but I'm sure you know what you're doing."

Through the night Bergur took the ship further out to sea, away from the cove. The men would sleep on the deck, repair and maintain their gear, and tell rough stories to one another. Eric sat with them, but just a few feet apart. He was one with his men, but knew they had to see him as slightly different if he were to maintain discipline. Of course the fact that he was nearly a head taller than the majority of them would help.

He wondered what Sookie was doing now. Perhaps she was sitting by the bath, remembering the last time they had been there together. When he got back he would really need her there again.

Dawn's cold light found the ship a mile from shore, several miles further north. Bergur took them further out to sea when the neared a town, no point in attracting attention. By dark they were rested, and looking for somewhere to come to shore.

Eric had to stop the story telling. The men, emboldened by the easy victory, were beginning to mock one another. He feared that if bravado overtook common sense he could end up with a duel on the ship. Quietly he told them to stop talking in case they were heard from the shore. Bjorn, the ship's mate, told them Bergur had found a spot to land.

Everything on the deck became business again. Weapons were checked and rechecked, armor straps tightened and harnesses fastened. The grim raiding party prepared for the bump as the ship was run up on to the sand.

As before Eric and Olaf went over the side into the shallow water as the crew secured the vessel. Again Bergur had excelled himself, his eye for landing places was impeccable. While the scouts ran out on foot they could hear the hull dragged over the sand.

It was a cold night, much colder than it had been even yesterday, but Eric and Olaf were soon sweating as they ran around the bay, looking for enemies or targets. Finding neither they began to move inland, always north. It took them an hour before they found the monastery.

Built on a rocky cliff top overlooking the sea it was a simple approach over open ground from inland. A low stone wall ran all around the perimeter, behind it sat a church building and two outbuildings. Behind the church a very tall spire stood alone, like a come get me sign for vikings. Eric grinned. It wasn't that he had anything against these Christians, his father said the religion was spreading in the towns at home, it was just that they hoarded gold like no other.

"We'll let them sleep awhile," he told Olaf as they turned to go back to the ship.

The moon was at full height when they returned, still bright enough to see by although it was waning. Eric led the raiding party over the open ground without incident. They gathered at the wall before everyone pulled themselves up and over the lowish stone wall. Inside no-one saw the intruders arrive.

"Slaves?" Ulrich asked.

"Not from this lot," Eric laughed.

Spreading out to cover all three buildings the vikings crossed the stone and gravel yard. Locked doors and screaming men did not deter them from what they had come for. When it was done they torched the buildings, having piled the loot on the grass near the wall.

"Survivors?" Eric asked Ulrich as he approached.

The veteran grinned at him evilly, shaking his head.

As the fire took the band let themselves out through the front gate, to return to the ship. If the plunder on this trip were as good as it had been so far the gods were indeed smiling on their venture.

The season passed in much the same manner. Only as the weather began to close in, the days and nights becoming colder, did Eric decide it was time to go home. Every one of them was rich, Odin had chosen to be good to them, and there was a huge haul for Egil. With pride Eric knew he had justified his father's choice of raiding chief. Their band had suffered no losses, not even an injury during all of the fighting.

Rubbing his big callused hands together against the chill wind that bit at them, Eric stood at the prow as the ship made for home. He would be with Sookie soon.

"No vampires this time," he told the wind.

Beaching the ship as close to his father's farm as they could get on the night of their return, Eric rushed ahead to greet his father. He knew that Ulrich and the crew would look after the slaves and the treasure, and just needed to see his Sookie. She would be waiting for him, watching by a window in his father's house for the heroes returning from the sea. Her belly would be swollen further with the child she carried.

The house was in darkness, which was unexpected, so many extended family lived in the massive longhouse that there was always activity. There were no cattle or horses in the fields, no sign of life at all. Eric slowed to a cautious walk, regretting now that he had left his sword with the baggage for the slaves to bring. He loosened his belt knife and covered the ground to the house at a cautious lope.

Reaching the door unchallenged, again a rare thing on his father's land, Eric was growing more concerned by the moment. He tried the door, found it open. What he should have seen was the women of the family preparing food, attending to children. There should have been music and food, and a welcome fit for heroes. What he found inside was death.

Eyes adjusting to the gloom Eric's heart broke when he found the bodies of his mother and father, together near the doorway. As he entered he found other bodies, his brother, his cousin. The whole family had been slaughtered. Knowing panic he sought out the blonde hair and pale skin of his beloved Sookie. She was nowhere to be found.

"Northman," a strange voice, a British voice, called to him.

Eric looked into the shadowy gloom, seeing no-one. When it called him again it was much closer, closer than any man could have come. He knew then what had occurred.

"Northman, come back to die?" the voice asked.

"I'll take you with me," he promised.

"Oh Northman, you people believe in revenge, don't you," the voice teased, again it had moved, forcing Eric to spin to face it.

"It's expected, in our laws," Eric answered, looking for a target.

"Good, because you killed my maker," the voice told him.

And then he was surrounded. Eric had heard the tales of vampires, of their superhuman strength and speed. The one he had killed four years ago hadn't seemed so tough. But to have so many of them surrounding him in an instant, that was time to believe. His last thought was for Sookie as they pounced on him.

Eric knew he dreamed of death. Sookie was there, washing his brow, frowning at him. He wanted to ask had she come to bathe him before the Valkyries came. Then he blacked out again.

There was copper, like water from a copper kettle. He spluttered as he choked on the thick water that tasted metallic. He tried to pull his head away but Sookie was there, soothing his brow. She made him drink. As he closed his eyes again he realized there was no kettle.

Torchlight. He was still weak, but he knew even in his confused state that his health was returning. Sookie was still there, tending to Eric, nursing him. He tried to speak to her, to tell her he loved her, but the fever took him again. As he blacked out this time he was aware of Sookie's concern, and of her fear. It was as if he could feel her emotions. Then darkness took him again.

Nightfall, and with it restlessness. Eric knew he was healing now, he wanted to get up, to wash the iron taste from his mouth. He wondered what medicine Sookie had used that tasted so foul. She was here, bent over him.

"Lover," he called her.

She came at once. Her skin was deathly pale, her blonde hair looked limp and lifeless. But when she leaned in to him to steal a kiss from her handsome viking she smelled so good, like lavender and rich earth. Eric might have noticed that she was dirty, her skin soil stained, but he didn't care. Wrapping his huge arms around her he kissed her passionately, embarrassed as he was at how bad his breath must taste. Sookie responded, falling into his arms, reaching for him. He was naked under the sheet, and his body was responding strongly to her. With savage strength he had never known he could possess he ripped the linen nightdress off her, exposing her firm white breasts. Her skin was cold to touch, but he grinned with the knowledge that he would soon sort that. How he had longed for her, to have her this way as soon as he returned. How he longed to see her swollen belly. Sookie pressed her mouth firmly to his, kissing him as if she meant to drink from his soul.

As he entered her he groaned his delight. When his fangs extended it was the most natural thing in the world to bite her neck and drink from her as she rode him to climax.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Sorry, I've been slow to update. Hope this is okay.

Eric's Fate

Chapter Four

"Sorry about the beard," Sookie told him.

"The beard," Eric reached a hand to his face, finding it smooth and hairless. He hadn't noticed until now.

"Your face was bad, I had to shave you to tend the wounds. They hurt you bad Eric," she rushed the words out, trembling in case he reacted with fury.

"I like it," he smiled, "and the first man who mocks me will die. Besides, it'll grow back."

"It might not," Sookie told him.

"Is the scarring bad, my love. It doesn't matter, at least I'm alive."

"You might not be," she said softly.

"Might not be, what do you mean? Of course I'm alive, in the morning I'll gather up the raiding party. We'll hunt those vampires and be avenged," he was so sure of himself.

"Eric you've been out a long time, they'll be far away. The raiders have given up looking for you and gone to their own homes. Ulrich said they would all meet at your father's house at the end of the week, once they had checked on their families," she was rushing the words out, in case fear stopped her.

"Why did you not tell them where I was, that I was recovering?" Eric demanded.

"It's not that simple," she said.

"Why? What could be more simple? I am their leader," he was getting cross with her now.

"Eric you're dead, we both are," she said, bracing herself for a blow. None came.

"Dead? Then how... ?"

"The vampires turned me, for sport, while they killed off your father's household. I can feel the one who took me over if I think about him. They're close, closer than your raiders. When I found you in the longhouse they had drained you, left you for dead. What was I to do, lose you? I knew how to turn you, they had just done it on me. When you bit me I thought you'd accepted it," Sookie was staring at the floor.

"But Sookie, how can this be? I feel like I'm in the best of health, and my wounds have all healed. I could fight the world!" he boasted.

"Just not in the daylight, lover, or you'll need more than a bandage," Sookie warned him.

He looked deflated. Still naked from their love making Eric was checking his wounds and scars, finding neither. His fingertips ran along the line of his teeth, finding the fangs. So it was true. He was a vampire.

Better than dead every time, he thought.

"I guess you better tell me what you know, did you learn anything from the vampires who turned you?" he asked.

"They thought it was funny because they knew I was your woman. Godric, the one who turned me, was little more than a boy, the age you were when you led your first raid. When the others were about he told them this was to teach you a lesson.

"But when we were alone he whispered to me urgently, he told me things. He said he wanted you to survive, that you had a destiny to fulfill. He told me the things he needed me to know so I could help you. Eric he wanted you to live," she was looking back at him.

"Live I shall, it seems. But I have shame while my father lies unavenged. What else did he tell you?"

"Eric, there's a list. Godric says we'll heal better, which you've proved. He says its likely that hearing and smell will improve, that we'll be faster and stronger, we might even be able to fly. But he also says no silver, and sun burn will be fatal. And we need to feed," she stopped.

"Feed?"

"Human blood. Lots of it at the start, less as we age, we'll die otherwise."

"Of course there is an advantage, Eric," Sookie told him, running her hand up his taught abdomen.

He'd noticed the difference in her body too. If possible she looked more supple, and more attractive. Eric tore his eyes away from her flat tummy, tears welling as he realized their baby was gone. With the back of his hand he wiped his eyes, then stood stunned that there was blood on his hand.

"What is this?" he asked.

Sookie took his hand in hers, licked the blood with the tip of her tongue. Words couldn't describe how sensual yet wrong Eric felt at that moment. Her eyes engaged his as she continued to trace his hand with her mouth, now gently sucking on his fingers. His loins were stirring, his body responding to the stimulus whether his mind was reeling or not. Against his lips the fangs extended to match the pair Sookie flashed as she pounced on him.

Smaller than him, lighter than him, and just for a minute quicker than him. Eric was on his back on the ground with his wife on top of him, her mouth on his. With a grunt she dropped herself onto him, her entrance soaking wet. It seemed her reactions were more extreme too. He cupped her breasts with his hands, tweaking the nipples hard between thumb and finger, when she screamed in pleasure he did it again. Sookie raked her nails down his chest, drawing blood. Her mouth landed on it, tongue working wonders on his skin. When she found his taught nipples she ran her tongue over them. Eric wasn't going to last long if she kept this up.

Lifting her off him, he rolled her onto her back, pinned her legs up behind her head as he drove deeper into her with every stroke. She was howling, urging him to go faster. His pelvis became a blur against hers as he thrust deeper and deeper, faster and faster. Pinned as she was Sookie could only respond by clenching her muscles and urging him on. Nerves on fire she exploded with pleasure as he arched his back, ramming into her with one final hard thrust. Eric felt that his own climax would last for ever. Sookie bit his arm as he sank his own teeth into her neck.

This was much better than being dead.

For a long time they lay together, bodies tied. Finally it was Eric who stirred. He had smelled something, faint but acrid.

Smoke.

Somewhere nearby a building was burning.

Dressing quickly the pair went out into the night. Even from here Eric could see the outline of his father's longhouse as the flames caught. On the wind he could hear men shouting, voices he recognized. Without a thought he sprinted the distance to them, Sookie at his side. His men were under attack, he had to help them.

The sight he found at the farm was confusing at first. Ulrich and the others were all here, they outnumbered the attackers, but had been forced to retreat against the burning building. Eric could see that so far none of his men had fallen, but they were being hard pressed.

Vampires, bastards had come back to finish of the raiding party. As their leader Eric was obliged to go to their aid, as a viking he was honored to. Still at his side, running every bit as fast as he was, Sookie launched herself on the attackers with him.

Eight faces turned to look at the newcomers. Seven looked appalled to see Eric and Sookie, while the eighth, the boy Godric, began to laugh out loud. He had tattoos the like of which Eric had never seen, and an otherworldly quality that had to be his vampire heritage. Then he lunged at one of his fellows, ripping the stunned vampire's throat out.

Unarmed Eric bowled into the largest of the attackers, throwing him to the ground. Planting a massive head butt into the face of the downed creature he pressed his advantage, twisting it's head on it's neck until bones popped. Nearby Sookie took a more direct approach, she had grabbed a length of wood from a cart on the way past, and planted it directly into the heart of the nearest vampire.

Rallied the war band leaped into action, making short work of the others. Ulrich made sure every one of them was staked before he came over to Eric.

"Vampire scum," he said as he embraced his cold, dead leader.

Godric was laughing again.


	5. Chapter 5

Eric's Fate

Chapter Five

Godric was still laughing, a harsh throaty laugh which at once mocked the world and himself. Behind the raiding party the flames were consuming the longhouse, and the bodies within. Releasing his friend from their embrace Ulrich asked what they should do about the fire. Shaking his head Eric told the men to let the house burn.

It was a fitting pyre for his father and his family.

"Where have you been, Eric? We searched for you, and when we couldn't find you we went to our own families to check on them before coming back to search again," Ulrich looked sad, and suddenly much older than his years.

"Your families? Are they well?" Eric knew every member of every household of the men in his raiding party. What he heard next brought him to tears. Red tears.

"All gone, looks like the vampires had a field day while we were away. Eric they took their time, some of what we found wasn't easy to look on," Ulrich told him, all the while staring at Eric.

"I joined the group at the end, about three or four days before I came upon Sookie," Godric volunteered. "They've been rampaging unchecked up and down the peninsula while all of the men were away raiding. Where I could I tried to temper their behavior, but I am one man, and they were many. I'm sorry I couldn't save more of your families."

"You were one of them, why did you help us?" Ulrich demanded.

"I traveled with them, I was not one of them," Godric defended himself. "As soon as I saw a way out I took it. You have to believe they were as ruthless with my kind as they were with yours."

"Eric, your eyes are bleeding," Trausti, poet and intellectual of the group, could contain the observation no longer.

Dumbly Eric wiped the tears away, gazing for a moment at the blood on his hand, his blood, before wiping it on his tunic. "There's something I have to tell you all."

"Wait then, I'd like to hear this too," the voice was Bergur, ship's captain. At his side was Bjorn, his mate. They had seen the flames from the boat, had come to see if they could help in any way.

Godric was chuckling again. For a moment Eric looked daggers at him, before turning to meet the expectant faces of his men. For better or worse they had to know, because in a few hours they would know anyway.

"The vampires were still here when I got here. They were waiting for me. Sookie says that when she found me I was unrecognizable, a mess. She had to shave my face to sew my cheeks back together. I would have died had it not been for Sookie," he paused.

Thirteen faces looked thanks at Sookie, they had lost their families, Eric was all that was left to these fighting men now. Although they were all free men, a bond of loyalty held them to their leader. Trausti, poet of the group, spoke for the others.

"Accept our thanks, Sookie," he said.

At his side Grettir, the group's surgeon, and Glaumer his brother were trying to see the wounds that Sookie had healed, but there was no mark, no scarring. Eric appreciated at once what they were thinking.

"There are no scars, Sookie healed me by turning me. I was all but dead when she found me, when I did die she brought me back. I am Vampire," he told them.

Godric was laughing again.

"But cousin, how can it be?" Illugi asked.

"When the vampires came to my father's house they found Sookie. What they put her through she'll probably never tell any of us, but our new friend Godric saved her, by turning her. She was able to save me the same way," Eric scanned the faces of the others, he couldn't guess what they were thinking. He could feel Godric tense, ready to fight if the need arose.

Slowly the men debated with themselves about this turn. Geir and Gisli, the twins who had been slaves freed by his father, were the first to grin back at Eric. They at least could live with this. Olaf, the scout Eric had spent so much time alone with during the raids was the next. More and more of the group were grinning back at him, accepting that things were different now. Ivarr was the last, he was struggling with what the vampires had done to his wife and their baby. She'd been carrying the child when they set out on the raids, he'd never seen it alive.

Godric looked to Eric, he was moved at the loyalty these men were prepared to show their leader, even on finding out that he was now made the same as the creatures that had killed their families. When he'd saved Sookie he had known who she was married to, when he'd changed sides in the fighting, he'd known it was the most interesting thing to do. For a couple of hundred years Godric had been bored, but he hoped now that Eric would change that.

Yes, Godric thought, no need to rush to meet the sun just yet.

"So what do we do now?" Ulrich asked. "Do we stay here, rebuild the land of our fathers?"

"No," Eric told him. "I have to feed, as do Sookie and Godric. We will not feed on our kinsmen. Our families are gone, and the memories in this land will be too painful for all of us. Let us go to Albion, carve out a kingdom of our own. We've all seen what is there for us."

"But how can we do that?" Grettir asked. "With your condition you won't survive they voyage, will you?"

"We'll make caskets for the three of us. You can guard me during daylight, and we can return the favor at night," Eric told them.

"But what happens if you get hungry?" Snorri, largest of the raiding party wanted to know.

"We'll bring the slaves, they'll have a use after all!"

"It'll be an honor to have you aboard," Bergur told the vampires.

"And a pleasure to fight with you again," Grimur added.

"Do we have to be vampires too?" Trausti asked.

Godric hid the smile with his hand. Maybe not all at once, he was thinking.

None of the slaves survived the crossing. By night Godric, Eric and Sookie would watch the ship, hold the course, and feed. During those long nights Godric shared his wisdom and experience with the pair, abandoning the age old practice of treating them like inferiors. Had he wanted pets he would have made them, but in Eric he wanted an equal. To hold Sookie to him would have made that impossible. Eventually there would have been strife. Equally he noted that Sookie resumed her role as wife and friend to Eric, choosing not to adopt the position she should have as maker.

During the daylight Olaf and Ulrich guarded the caskets as if their own lives depended on it. It was on their honor that their leader should survive this journey. While the rest of the party performed the tasks relating to the ship the pair stood always by the caskets, always on guard. There was no threat from within the raiders, but these men would ensure that there could be none.

It was dark when Bergur finally brought the ship hard into a cove, running the hull far up the shore as he approached at a higher speed than might have been prudent. He guessed it would be a long time before they went to sea again.

Finally with room to move, to run and be free, Eric took Godric on the first scout with him. They ran like the wind, enjoying the freedom of so much space after being on board ship. Around the cove then deep into the surrounding countryside they went, both for the thrill of the run and the hunt for a target. When they returned to the cove Olaf nodded to Eric, accepting that his role had changed, for now anyway.

"Well?" Ulrich asked the smooth faced blonde warrior when he returned.

"This area will do nicely, we'll take it," Eric told him.

"Did you find our targets?" he asked.

"I did, but we found something a bit more useful to us, since we might be staying for a while. There is a town about four miles inland and to the north. It is walled with a wooden palisade, with perhaps a dozen homes inside. Beyond it there is a stone built keep, with armed men barracked inside. I think we've chanced on the home of the local baron," Eric smiled.

"So he'll be retiring then," Ulrich grinned evilly.

"We'll need the real estate," Godric agreed.

Wearing full armor and carrying all of their kit, it took the raiding party an hour to reach the town that Eric spoke of. In a small stand of trees they stashed everything that would not be needed in the fighting. Sookie would stay here while the raid went ahead.

"Will she be okay on her own?" Snori asked. "What if a patrol comes across her?"

"God help them," said Godric.

The raiders split into two groups to cover the last stretch to the keep. From their vantage they could see that the walls were thick and high, and there were lights on inside that made them think the guards were alert. Ulrich would lead a group consisting of Grettir, Glaumer, Illugi, Geir, Gisli and Olaf in from the north. From the south Bergur would bring Trausti, Snori, Grimur, Ivarr, and Bjorn.

"What about you two?" Ulrich asked Eric and Godric.

"We're going in ahead, to open the door," Eric told him.

"How?"

Eric didn't answer, but he and Godric began to float above the ground, rising out of reach, then out of site of the men.

"Glad them two are on our side," Ulrich told no-one in particular.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Sorry I've been slow updating, I've been having a crisis of confidence. I want to write this fic to cover a large part of Eric's life and experiences, but it's a big undertaking if there is no-one reading it. Please please review, your reviews are what will help to develop this story, and I love getting them.

Eric's Fate

Chapter Six

Two pairs of booted feet landed softly on the smooth stone roof, just behind the battlements on the north wall. It was cold so high up, and the wind seemed so much stronger. Without a word two figures crossed the roof of the keep in the darkness, swords at the ready. Finding the door unlocked they grinned at each other.

"Let the killing commence!" Godric announced, before dropping into the opening. Eric followed him, into the cold upper room of the keep.

The vast room at the top of the building was richly furnished, with a grand bed as it's center piece. But it was cold, so very cold, and smelled damp. It had been a long time since anyone had lit a fire in the granite fireplace. Two doors led from the room, Godric checked the first, finding a latrine. He grinned at the primitive stone seat that led to a hole in the wall, this would be a room not to look up at from outside.

Eric listened at the other door. Hearing nothing he pulled it open, finding the top of a narrow stone staircase. He waited until Godric was behind him before starting the descent to the rest of the keep. From below they could feel the heat of fires burning in the hearths on the lower levels. Their descent was soundless, save for the occasional scuff of booted feet on stone. There were people moving around on the next level.

Same as above there was a door between the stairwell and the rest of the level. The intruders slipped on past to the lower levels, meeting no-one on the way down. When they reached the main door they opened the front door brazenly, like they owned the place, so as not to alert the suspicions of any sentries.

"One door open," Eric whispered before the pair slipped across the open ground between them and the main gate. There were sentries in the gatehouse that spanned the top of the thick wooden gates, but the door at ground level was open. In the darkness at the bottom of the stairs Godric held up four fingers, to show Eric that he had heard four voices. With a nod Eric took the lead, climbing slowly, sword advanced.

Four men in mail shirts were playing at dice around a square of fabric in the middle of the floor. No-one was watching the front gate, or the ground beyond, and most certainly no-one had seen the dreadful pair who were now in the room until it was too late. Almost casually Godric broke the first man's neck with a flick of his elbow, before grabbing the second man by mouth and the back of his neck. His hand stifled the man's attempt to yell a warning.

Eric landed his sword through the back of the mail shirt of his first opponent, finding his heart. Vampire speed made him quicker than the suction of the dead man's body would allow, so he abandoned the blade, grabbing the last man in a grip similar to Godric's. It was over in a second. Before the smell of the dead men could reach the air both vampires were feeding.

Must remember to slash, not stab, Eric was thinking about his sword technique as he drained the life from the man held helpless in his grasp. Godric was laughing again.

When they opened the main gate the raiding party slipped in quietly a few minutes later. Without a sound they spread out to the towers on the corner, and the main keep in the center. Ulrich led the men with hand gestures and waves, while his eyes searched the grounds for any sign they had been discovered.

Trausti and Grettir took the nearest tower. Just as Eric and Godric had found with the gatehouse the door was open. As they went inside they caught a glimpse of Glaumer and Illugi entering the tower on the other end of the front wall. What happened inside was short, noisy, and very one sided. On the back wall Geir and his twin Gisli were emerging from the third tower, blood on their blades, while Snorri and Eric's cousin Grimur were dispatching the guards in the final post.

Seeing that all was well Ulrich and Olaf led the remainder of the raiding party through the door that had been opened by Godric, and into the main keep building. It was built like the tower houses now favored in England and Ireland, so they knew what layout to expect. Before they reached the foot of the stairs the rest of the raiding party had rejoined them.

The main room on the ground floor was large, and held two long tables at which a dozen men at arms were eating. Ulrich launched himself at the largest of them, while Olaf followed him at the next nearest. Blades fell heavy on the men in the room as they reached for weapons they would never get to use. It was slaughter. More of the party were running up they stairs, breaking into the rooms above, and killing anyone they found. By now the sounds of fighting had alerted the rest of the occupants, and the fighting was becoming less one sided.

Eric followed his party into the building, content to watch them dispatch the soldiers. He wanted to make sure that all of his men were blooded this night, and that nothing would occur that would leave any man in shame. These men were all the family he had now, and he would look after them.

Godric joined the assault on the third floor, where he had smelled the human females in their apartments. He showed no mercy to the men he found, but made sure that the girls, four of them, were unharmed. From above and below the sounds of fighting were dying out. The keep was taken.

In the darkness Sookie settled to wait. It didn't bother her that they wanted to keep her away from the fighting, it would have been wrong for her to join the warriors. She settled into a kind of daze, inactive but alert. Her sharper hearing picked up the sounds of fighting as the keep was taken.

There was movement in the bushes near her. As she watched a large man in armor led an older man and woman out of a tunnel. They looked frightened and confused, but Sookie was certain they had escaped the slaughter in the keep. Well they nearly had. If only their tunnel had come out somewhere else they would have got away.

Taking on the man in armor, as he posed the greatest threat, Sookie slammed herself into him with all her strength and speed. He never saw the attack coming, never had a chance to react. The metal breastplate was badly damaged, squeezed hard against his chest. When he landed on the ground more than ten feet away she was on him, twisting the helmet that covered his head until she heard his neck pop.

"What are you?" the older man asked.

Sookie stopped, tilted her head to look at the man.

"Why have you done this?" the man asked. He looked frightened, and very old, the woman with him seemed to shrink behind him.

"Will you kill me?" he demanded.

"If you want," Sookie told him, launching herself at him. She would feed well this night.

Eric found Sookie feeding on the old man. He watched her fondly as she drained the life blood from her victim, only stopping when it was all gone. She arose then, having heard her husband approach.

"Been a while since you and me were alone," Sookie reminded him, fangs down.

"Too long," Eric agreed.

"Do you want to see the tunnel in the bush?" she asked.

"Oh, is that how they got out?" he laughed.

Sookie approached Eric, licking her fangs. He put his arms around her, feeling her strong back with his hands as his mouth sought hers. She was cold, as was he, a change in their bodies they would both have to get used to. But for now they were fed, and they needed each other. Eric found her mouth with his, his kisses frenzied. Sookie responded hungrily, tasting the blood of the dead soldier in his mouth.

"You've eaten too," she said, drawing her tongue across his fangs to savor the different quality of his victim's blood. Her hands tore at his tunic, her urgency to have him growing. He had enough sense left in him not to tear her gown as he removed it, his hands landing on her exposed breasts to squeeze her nipples. She growled, leaning into him, then pushed him down to his knees in front of her.

"Taste me now," she ordered, pulling his head down on her. Eric responded, his tongue probing her entrance, finding her nerves. He clamped his mouth on her, his hands gripping her ass tightly as he held her to him. When her taste changed and her knees buckled he pulled her to the ground. She was swollen and soaking and ready for him. With a grunt of sheer pleasure he drove into her hard, and began to fuck her in a frenzy that was all animal. Sookie bit his shoulder in response to the pain of his gracious plenty filling her. On the ground she twisted to take him deeper, grinding her pelvis against him as he thrust in and out, faster and faster. Lights exploded behind her eyes as he brought her to the most intense climax she had ever had, before he in turn burst within her. After the feeding and the fighting they were both raw, and the sex between them was almost savage.

Eric was really starting to like being dead.

A/N I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N I'm sorry this update has been a long time coming. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and Pmd about it.

Eric's Fate

Chapter Seven

Cold misty sunlight filtered through the low cloud cover and made the dewy grass sparkle. Around the keep no trace remained of the fighting that had occurred save the odd smear of blood or dropped weapon that had been missed in the darkness. In the gatehouse Trausti and Grettir where throwing dice and watching the expanse of ground beyond the keep.

"What do you suppose Godric will do with the girls?" Grettir asked as he cupped the dice to throw again.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think it's going to be the noble stuff of sagas," Trausti said humourlessly. He wasn't impressed by the way Godric had claimed the girls, or the way he had locked them away in his rooms.

"Should we do something?" Grettir asked, unsure of how to voice what he was feeling.

"Only if you want to give him a reason to kill you," Trausti answered.

"Do you think it would come to that?"

"You saw what he did to the vampires, and they were his friends. He doesn't even know us, so what makes you think he'd give a damn about killing one of us," Trausti almost whispered that last bit, as if fearing that Godric would indeed hear them and come tearing into the room and kill them both.

Up in the tower Godric heard every word that was said by the guards. His hearing was so acute he could almost tell what way the dice had fell by the noise they made when they landed. Godric knew he was at the peak of his abilities, and that life had just got interesting again.

In his chambers the girls cowered away from him. They expected the beautiful young man to stop laughing at any moment and then the hurting would start. But he just smiled his odd smile at them, laughing occasionally, while he seemed to be listening to a voice they couldn't hear.

"Will you hurt us?" one of them asked.

Godric stopped laughing and looked at the pretty girl who cowered away from him.

"I will not," he told them.

"Will you let us go?" the girl asked.

"I will not," he told them again.

"Then what would you do with us?" the girl asked.

"Nothing," he laughed again, a different warmer laugh than the one they had heard from him before.

"So why are we here with you?" she asked.

"You can be my friends, for now. While you are no-one will hurt you," he laughed again, knowing that they didn't believe him. In time they would, and time was something Godric had plenty of. He admired the work he had done, covering over every window and door, nailing them shut and blocking out the sunlight before it came. After a thousand years of being a vampire Godric didn't need to sleep as the others did. He just had to stay out of the sunlight. It would be a pity to meet the sun now when Eric and Sookie were making it all interesting again. Through their bond he could feel that their minds were dormant as they rested.

My children sleep, he thought, then started to laugh again.

When the dark came again Godric was waiting. He smiled benignly at Eric and Sookie as they rose from their rest. Both had fresh blood marks on their necks, and the smell of sex was in the air. Godric laughed a little, he had been aware of the frantic love making through the bond. It had excited him intellectually if not physically. After so many years it took more than the knowledge that others were copulating to raise a reaction from him.

"Shall we hunt?" Godric asked the pair. It was said as a question, but the instruction was there.

"Of course, Godric," Sookie answered.

"We three?" Eric asked.

"Yes, rest the men," Godric laughed, a little higher than would have been comfortable.

"I'll let them know," Eric said, and left to see Ulrich.

"You love him, Sookie?" Godric asked when Eric was gone.

"For eternity," she told him.

"I hope you get that long," he told her, a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Why so sad, Godric?" she wanted to know.

"I loved once, I hoped for eternity," he told her.

"What happened?"

"I grew bored, I killed him. Sometimes I regret it," he said. His eyes were big hollow pools, rimmed with red as the memory brought tears.

"Why did you kill him?" Sookie was horrified.

"He didn't want me to leave him. In the end it was kinder."

Sookie looked at her maker with a question on her face, even if it didn't pass her lips. When Godric saw it he smiled at her.

"You're right, I'm not great with friends, am I?"

"Will you kill me and Eric when you bore of us?"

"Only if you let me, Eric has a thirst for his second chance, I think he'd struggle a bit," Godric said. "Besides, you are my child, I made you."

"Does that help?" Sookie asked.

For a moment Godric thought about this.

"No, I don't suppose it does," he said.

Three figures launched themselves from the roof of the keep. As they flew they delighted in the thrill of the night air, the smells from the rich countryside below, the sounds of creatures of the night hunting. Just like they were.

Eric spotted a solitary farmhouse and pointed it out, but Godric just shook his head. They flew on, looking for a target on which they could feed, but that would offer a challenge. Twice more they passed single houses by, twice more following Godric with the far away look in his eyes. Only when Sookie began to wonder what kind of hunt this was going to be did they find something more to Godric's liking.

In the dark they saw a column of mounted men leading a wagon through the countryside. It was Godric who said they should take a closer look.

"I think they're Vikings, Eric," he said.

"I see them. Should we go find out who they are? Perhaps they will be allies for us?"

"We need no allies, Eric. Let's hunt them," Godric said.

"I cannot. I will not feed of my own kinsmen," Eric refused.

"Then Sookie and I will hunt them, for she cannot refuse," Godric laughed. "You may watch."

"But Godric, we came here so as not to hunt our own," Eric protested.

"This is your first lesson Eric. Your own kind are vampires, all others are here for us to take from!"

"But there is no need for these men to die," Sookie protested.

Godric laughed.

"Someone has to, we need to feed. Must I do this alone?" he asked, as his fangs dropped.

"Godric, please, not these men," Eric said again.

High in the air above the armed men the boy with the tattoos stopped his descent. His gaze shifted from Eric to Sookie, then back to Eric.

"I had thought you stronger than this," he told Eric.

"Which is stronger, to follow you and do something I don't want to, or defy you and hope to make you see sense? Besides if you're so ruthless why are the girls still alive?"

Eric couldn't see Godric's smile, but he looked away from the armed raiding party below, seeking something else on the ground below them.

"Do you suggest we run through the forest and hunt animals?" he mocked Eric.

"No I suggest we take what we need from where we want. Just not from my own kinsmen," Eric told him.

Laughing again Godric nodded. Life with these two was indeed going to be more interesting.

On a beach in a sheltered cove, not far from their original landing site, they found four fishermen making their boat ready to catch the tide. Death descended on them from the air, their lives ending in a frenzy of violence and feeding. When Sookie and Eric went at each other for afters, blood-lust becoming pure sexual frenzy, Godric strode away from them.

It was enough for him that his children were happy, he didn't need to see why.

A/N Sorry this was so long coming, hope it's okay


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